The present invention relates to systems, methods, and computer programs for a reconfigurable, hierarchical component-based architecture and framework for rapid development of sensor device-enabling software applications.
Sensors are vital components in a vast array of security, automotive, industrial, medical, commercial, as well as consumer products. Sensors are integral to the functionality, performance, and distinctiveness of an expanding array of established and emerging industries and applications, including automotive, process control, consumer electronics and office and industrial automation products, machinery monitoring, air and ground transportation, environmental monitoring, HVAC/building automation, home appliances, medical devices and equipment, aerospace, security, and wireless monitoring systems. Sensors are a key enabling technology that continues to find opportunities to allow for achieving new and promising, potentially high-volume applications; for example, automotive stability control, rollover detection, cabin air quality monitoring, occupancy detection, tire pressure monitoring; handheld devices (including mobile phones, personal digital assistants, tablet computers, global positioning system-equipped devices); and expanded sensor networks in industrial, commercial or homeland security applications.
The future of the sensors lies with wireless sensor networks and complex, multi-sensor systems. Wireless sensors (i.e., sensors that transmit and/or receive data without using a physical wire connection) have highly realistic growth opportunities in diverse applications that require sensor networks that are cost-effective and easy to install, deploy, and reconfigure. Moreover, the continually evolving wireless communications protocols standards continue to help drive the expansion of more economical sensor networks. It is expected that networked wireless sensors will increasingly gain a real foothold in the marketplace and generate significant revenue, as standard wireless communication protocols and data structures that support a wide range of applications become geared toward optimizing sensor networks.
Companies that design and integrate systems that incorporate sensors tend to provide custom-design methodologies and solutions for specific sensor applications. Such customized processing solutions can result in high cost and are often not readily transferable to other applications. The present invention remedies this problem by optimizing sensor design, processing, and implementation and provides a design-time and run-time tool set that can enable developers of all experience to readily create sensor-based applications.
It is widely accepted that the future of sensor network and system application development lies within spearheading the design, development, and commercialization of an economical, modular, powerful, plug-and-play sensor processing system.
Thus, in the fragmented and application-specific sensor marketplace, there is a need for a smart sensing and flexible solution, such as a Reconfigurable, Hierarchical Component-Based Architecture & Framework and Methods for Rapidly Developing Sensor Device-Enabling Software Applications, to enable a wide variety of sensors to have plug-and-play capability across a wide range of applications which will provide significant value to sensor element manufacturers and designers as well as developers and users of sensor-based systems. Such capabilities can greatly expand the served applications for sensors and sensor-based products.